Manchester Super Giants made an impressive start to the new season of The Hundred women’s competition with a commanding seven-wicket victory over London Spirit at Lord’s. Chasing a target of 81, the renamed side reached 86-3 in just 59 balls to secure a comfortable win.

After being sent in to bat, London Spirit endured a difficult innings from the outset. Grace Harris was dismissed for four, while Amy Jones fell for a golden duck as the batting side struggled to build partnerships. Ryana MacDonald-Gay starred with the ball for the Super Giants, finishing with outstanding figures of 4-17 and removing key batters including Marie Kelly and Marizanne Kapp.

Kapp top-scored for Spirit with 17 runs, but regular wickets prevented any sustained momentum. The innings ended on 80 all out with nine balls remaining, as Katie George became MacDonald-Gay’s fourth victim when she was caught behind.

Manchester Super Giants, formerly known as Manchester Originals, approached the chase confidently. Smriti Mandhana and captain Meg Lanning provided a solid start, adding 33 runs for the opening wicket before Mandhana was dismissed by Kapp for 17.

Kapp then struck again immediately, removing Grace Scrivens and briefly raising hopes of a Spirit comeback. However, Paige Scholfield survived the hat-trick ball and helped steady the innings alongside Lanning.

Lanning contributed 21 runs before Hannah Rainey claimed her wicket, but there was no further drama for the chasing side. Scholfield played an important hand of 22 from 15 deliveries, while Richa Ghosh finished unbeaten on 15 from just five balls.

Scholfield sealed the victory in style with consecutive boundary hits, guiding Manchester Super Giants to 86-3 and completing a dominant seven-wicket win to open their campaign. The result gives the Super Giants a strong start to the tournament, while London Spirit will look to recover after being dismissed for 80 in their opening fixture.The result gives the Super Giants a strong start to the tournament, while London Spirit will look to recover after being dismissed for 80 in their opening fixture.